March27, 2009

Washington, DC -- House Armed Services Committee
Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) released the following
statement concerning President Obama’s strategy for
Afghanistan and Pakistan:

“More than anything else, I am pleased that we
finally have a strategy to address Afghanistan and
Pakistan. Afghanistan has been the forgotten war, and
President Obama corrects this regrettable
mistake. There is no guarantee of success with
this strategy, but not having a strategy, as we have not for
the past eight years, is certainly a guarantee of
failure. At last, we can finally see a way ahead in
this most important war.

“As the Chairman of the House Armed Services
Committee, I applauded the President’s recent approval
of an additional 17,000 troops for Afghanistan.
However, we will not win in Afghanistan and Pakistan through
military means alone. We cannot kill our way into
victory, which is why the President’s strategy focuses
on a whole of government approach. We need more
civilian resources in Afghanistan to help build the Afghan
government and help rebuild the country. As any Member
of Congress who has visited Afghanistan can tell you, the
U.S. government civilians there have done their absolute
best, but there have been too few of them, they have not been
well coordinated with the military effort, and there has been
very little direction from Washington. This new plan
and new leadership will change that.

“I am also pleased that the strategy calls for
renewing American leadership of the international
effort. The Canadians, English, Dutch, and many other
nations have made tremendous sacrifices in blood and treasure
in Afghanistan. We honor their sacrifices and thank
them for their contributions. As the most powerful
nation on earth and the country who led this coalition into
Afghanistan, America owes it to our allies to reinvigorate
the international effort. We owe them, as much as we
owe ourselves, victory against extremist militants and
terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“At the same time, we must understand, and the
President clearly does, that while we can help fight Al Qaeda
and the Taliban, ultimately it is the Afghans themselves who
will provide for their own security and end this war.
The new strategy calls for expanded Afghan security forces,
and more American trainers to work with them, so that they
can fight this war against the forces that shut down schools
and brutally attack female students. The day the
Afghans can stand against their enemies and ours without
substantial military aid is the day our troops come home, and
the strategy reflects this.

“Finally, I am pleased that the strategy
recognizes the vital importance of Pakistan. Pakistan
has served as a sanctuary for the Taliban and Al Qaeda, and
while the Pakistani military has helped to fight them at
times, they did not have the capability to win that
fight. Even worse, some in the Pakistani political
process and intelligence services hedged their bets and made
common cause with extremist groups. The
President’s strategy correctly recognizes that success
will require action on both sides of the border, not just in
Afghanistan.

“Over the coming months, the House Armed
Services Committee will carefully examine this strategy and
how well it meets our goals. Some may disagree with
it. But all of us appreciate the critical importance of
having a strategy. For helping make that a reality, we
owe the President and all those who developed this strategy a
debt of thanks.”